Monday, 24 December 2007

Whilst reading the Book “Way of the Druid” by Graeme K. Talboys, I find myself making some reflections about this Celtic path.

Talboys speaks about nine dimensions of this philosophy, the one that old Celts follow, and it’s implications in today’s life.

The nine dimensions are as follows:

1) Tribal dimension; it encompasses the languages, history, traditions, myths, wisdom, and geography of the people that follow the Druid way, both past and present.

For this, I have to say that it was my first approach to the Celtic path was trough the music, history, traditions and myths, there is so much to learn about it, that I find myself in a never-ending journey, nevertheless, that doesn’t mean I find myself disappointed, on the contrary, knowing that there are a lot of Celtic history in the whole view, not just the archaeological point of view, encourages me to learn more and more.

2) Dimension of craft; the term is used in its broadest sense. […] physical manifestations of the metaphysical stance.

This is somehow a dimension that I’m beginning to approach, to give magic the proper place in everyday thinking, a balance to understand the world not only via the physical form that science give, but also, at the same time, in an attempt to find balance, the metaphysical stance.

3) Healing, the restoring of balance, understanding of the World and all that is in it, on both material and spiritual levels; of the ways in which the World and all who live there come to be damaged; and of the ways in which each Druid can best use their own skills to aid in their renewal.

This dimension I find it the hardest, understanding of the world, is a life time journey, and may be takes more than I life. However, I may try, in everyday living, to approach it more and more. How can I help heal the world is also a path that need to be live each day, in some small and personal efforts, but also thinking in the web in which we are all linked, a small change can make a great one. If according to the chaos theory a butterfly wing can cause a storm, every action we made, has a consequence, that could not seen obvious, but If focus in the greater good, can make a difference.

4) Metaphysical dimension, which is concerned primarily with the mysteries of and reasons for being, of life and death and rebirth, of the cycles in all our lives.

What is common call as Philosophy always has attracted me much, I find myself thinking in metaphysical topics all the time, trying to understand just a little the mysteries of life, of nature behaviour, including human one. For the cycles of our lives, I find the celtic knot as a perfect way to meditate about it. This phrase, that I love, reflects perfect the kind of meditation that this simple and complex symbol gives to me: Imagination is the key to Wisdom. Wisdom maps the way to Spirit. Spirit reveals itself through Imagination.- That's a Celtic knot

5) Dimension of seering. When the developed forces of the intuition are allowed to range across the wheel of time, nothing is irrelevant to place and the time that is nowSeer is something that has form somehow part of me, for many year, through dreams, sometime even awake ones, some events has present to me. This experience could be even a scary one, and I must say, I’m not fully prepared to understand all it’s messages, how ever, I expect, that with study, meditation and opening, some day I could be.

6) Dimension of ritual, this dimension does more than enfold the major rituals and ceremonies, exercises, prayers, meditations, teachings, and disciplines.

Personal and communitarian rituals are important to the humankind, and in a personal way, I find that they are also, but, has to be rituals with meaning, not mechanical ones. The great problem of rituals is to begin to think and do them as something mechanical, without meditating and try to understanding it’s unique meaning.

7) Dimension of natural philosophy. [..]Of the ways and workings of the world of which we are all part.

This is much related with the metaphysical dimension, but in a more physical way, it’s difficult to fully understand how the world is working, especially when we are alienated in an urban area. The world as a whole, as a interconnecting web, it’s full of mysteries, which we are but far to fully understand, however the fact that we may never apprehend the whole meaning, doesn’t mean that we shall not try, since every learning give us a light trough our lives, and also to understand how little we know, and to fully appreciate our size in the universe itself.

8) Dimension of teaching. A Constant dialogue with the world. They listen, they respond.

Although that, as I previously say, there’s too much to learn, and impossible to learn it all, there’s no point in learning without a purpose, each of us, in our own environment, has the opportunity to teach, knowing that we are not all mighty ones, nor holders of all truth, but in share, in listen and respond, in trying to give a guide if it is asked, we can teach. But must of all, we can teach with our own life example. I love to share the things I have learn, some how this is why I opened this blog, not thinking that I hold the unique and whole truth, but at least what I think is worthy to share, I do.

9) Dimension of service, the very heart of the Druid way. The goal of a Druid is not to better the self, All Druids do that as a matter of course, but as a means to an end rather than as an end in itself. To be Druid is to work to make the world a better place for all. To be Druid is to celebrate and venerate existence. To be Druid is to become an adept so that one can better serve. […] True, there are aspects of service within the social and ethical dimensions of religion, but these are tied in with the doctrinal aspects, which state that right social and ethical behaviour are not only prerequisites of right religious behaviour, but also the way to get your reward in the afterlife. For the Druid, however, services does not accrete to or derive from other aspects of the Druid way. It is not there because of doctrinal demands or to gain reward. Rather, service is the reason for the Way’s existence. Service is the Druid Way. The Druid way is service.

The University where I made my career has a motto “To be, to serve” that I make it for my own. I find service as a pillar. If we know that we are part of a whole, we cannot live with the thought of “live and let live” alienated from the others. But we cannot on the other hand impose our point of view, or force others to think as we do; so the way to interact with the world is trough service, help the others in the ways we can, and the others are not just people, but the nature itself.

There’s a lot of ways to serve, some direct, some indirect, but always thinking that we must put attention in every act, in every thought, since, as the third Newton’s law indicates, to every action there is a reaction of equal magnitude and opposite direction. But is not only in a selfish objective, some people, as Talboys says, make good in expectance of retribution, this is not the case, the retribution may or may not come, that’s something apart, we must act with the objective of a healthy environment, this environment is ourselves, our families, our friends, our work, our society, our natural environment and the whole as one. Knowing that in the pursue of that, a greater (common) good will be achieved.

Sunday, 23 December 2007

The winter solstice is one of the most important festivities of the pagan world. Not only the Celtic culture celebrate it, also the northern people, celebrate the Yule festival; Romans used to celebrate the solstice to Apollo. The Welsh Druidic tradition call this festival Alban Arthan.

It’s the return of the sun, we are now in the midwinter, and the sun goes forward to spring, the longest night in the year mark the beginning of the end of the winter.

Was so important the celebration of the Sun-God rising, the one who gives light and warm to the humankind, that Christians decided to fix Jesus birthday into the winter solstice, with the Nicea Council in the fourth century A.C. The solstice at that times, was on the 25 of December, but since the earth is moving, the day has also moved in 1600 years.

Is the time of the sun, of its rise upon darkness, we see the light in the new born that illuminates the path of the year.

We can’t just put apart the Christian influence in this time of the year, ‘cause indeed is also a time of joy, of the bringer of light. And a time of friendship, love & family.

Whichever you celebrate the Solstice or the Christmas, or both, like me, my best wishes go with you.

May the light illuminate your pathMay the winter pass by, leaving the reflections of the cold nights on your heartMay the darkness give you the preparation for the warm sunMay the joy and merry be with you

Thursday, 20 December 2007

Avalon is a place of magic, a place that we can tell tales for a life time without finishing.

This place may be best known for its relation with the Arthuric legend; however, the place goes beyond Arthur, since it’s a place where a lot of forces came together, not only the pagan and christian alike, but the forces that goes trough the universe itself.

It’s say that is a passage between the Fairy land and the human one. That means that is one of the entrances to the Tir Nan Og, when the mist covers the land, time stops and you can see, or at least feel the other world.

And that indeed I do, I was there at night, with the cold air, with the mist covering Glastonbury, and a feeling that it’s hard to express, it’s just a powerful force that covers yourself. With a little thanksgiving and initiation ritual, I open a new path, from Avalon itself.

I return there at day time , and thank the winds for the experience

I also have the change of be part of the Winter Solstice (Alban Arthan) OBOD Gathering, it was very nice to share with all these wonderful people an experience for the midwinter.

I had the chance to visit the Chalice Well and stay there for a time of meditation

And of course the Abbey, another place of peace

Avalon covers with mist the land of menWith wind and cold, with force and spiritMay the Celts pilgrims kneel before itMay the Christian ones, do the sameSince this is a place of magicThis is a place of joyA Connection with the world, the whole oneNot the divided that we perceiveA gate to the Tir Nan OgSing oh Avalon of your wisdomSing oh Avalon of your powerLet us share your light between the mistsLes us enter your realm

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

There are poems that came from the heart, there are poems that came from the soul, but there are poems that came to you in your dreams, burning your heart, burning your soul, stamping your mind. This is how the inspiration came for this.

Thanks to wyeuro, from OBOD, I could fully end this task, as a gift from the Sidhe themselves, here is, in the celtic language (and as I write it down)

I am The deep sea and the oceansI am one messenger of the spirits and realitiesI am the son of the whispers of the windI am the starlight, moonlight and sunlightI am the son of the old ways, the ancient wisdomI am the willow that moves on the water by the wind

I am the dreamer who reaches the starsI am the sun warm and the cold waterI am son of the earth and manI am the winter and springI am the solitude I am the horse and the owl

Who dreams on the laws of nature?Who have felt the love?Who dreamt about you and me?In a sleepy hallowI hope find to youWith the precise wordThe word of the deep sea and the oceans

Saturday, 8 December 2007

I was reading a very good article that Erynn Rowan Laurie made in 1995, about the Celtic Path. And I want to share some reflections about that, about what each of these nine points mean to me, whilst following this path.

“The first is a reverence for the deities of the Celtic Pantheon" The Celtic pantheon, is mostly divided in gods of light (the Tuatha Dé Dannan) and of dark (the Formorians) I have read and learn stories about them, and every day I find a new one.

How ever, my theological point of view is a little different. I believe in One God, that is the creator of all things, and the perfection of all. It’s not male, nor female, but as a synthesis of these concepts it reflects in it’s perfect being, the neutral, that combines the two opposites.

But I do believe that there are individual spirits of the earth and universe, some call them gods and goddesses, some angels and saints; but the thing is that they are present all over the places. Some has some “areas of influence” since I strongly believe that they are individual spirits, not as some pagans believe that all gods are one god and all goddesses one goddess. So they may have influence in the forces of nature and in what it’s call magic itself.

“Second is a reverence of the ancestors and the spirits of the land”. In that I’m fully agree with the Celtic point of view, every land has it’s own spirit, and it’s own ancestors, and we have to be respectful about them, and even ask them it’s favour when walking it’s land, making a ritual, meditating, or just, walking around. But it’s also important to reverence our own ancestors and spirits that walk along with us, watching us, taking care of us.

“Third, poetry as intrinsic to the structure of magick” Poetry and music, and arts in general is something I find as important to learn as many of my scientific knowledge. Arts are the manifestation of our souls, as well as science is the manifestation of our minds. A human can not be full if not embrace this two, and in this two the spiritual growing of it’s being.The word, the song, it’s one of the most powerful magic that human being has, it can change the world, it can change our world, if we let them.

“Fourth, a connection with the past" I find History as one of my passions, I firmly believe that we can’t understand our present, not making our future, if we don’t know about our past, that as individuals, and as a community. In every story, tale, myth, we can find the old ways, a voice that our ancestors, the ancestors of humankind, are speaking to us, they are teaching us so we can learn about the good and bad things that in their time passed. This lore, is how, we will be talking to our grandchildren in the future, and it’s a connection that has not to be broken."Fifth, a sense of early Celtic cosmology" as I say in a previous post, this is a very important topic that differentiates the Celtic Path from all other pagan path, and I dare to say, from all the other religions in the world. There were not dualities (good-evil, goddess-god, ying-yang) nor cosmologies of four, the four elements, were something that Celtic lore had not. And even directions, they add a fifth one, but actually they where three; since they were pairs north & south, east & west and from the union of this two pairs, it rise a new one, the centre. This triality it’s somehow difficult to understand for a modern point of view, and It gave me a lot to think about, and still does. Also the celtic virtues "strength, truth and generosity” These three virtues are really wonderful lore to me. In strength I find the motor that our will needs to walk in our journey of life.

Strength is not only of body, is not about having great muscles, is about our spirit, our mind, and yes also our body. We have strength of spirit when we open it to love, when we make our will strong enough to fight the problems, when we make it strong enough to be tender with others.

Truth, truth is a basic pillar of our lives, we need to speak with the truth, fill our tongues of it, not to make harm, nor to boast nor to flattery. And always in the search of knowledge, we also are seeking for the Truth, even if sometimes it goes apart in our journey, we must try to find it again.

Generosity, that is a value that as society have loose a lot, we need to recover it, it’s to share, to share our knowledge, to share our feelings, to help the one who needs and wants help, if every man think about it in this world, a lot of thing will change.

"Sixth, I think that inclusiveness is important" We must learn that we are in the same boat, we are just part of the same planet. There’s a lot of time wasting in finding our differences, than in finding our common ground. I like to consider myself as a world citizen, and in that, embrace a love for all.

"Seventh, respect for women" Respect for women or people who have different sexual preference of the ones we hold it's very important, we can no longer believe that there is a gender that is better or superior that the other, nor that certain "normal" preferences are just the right ones.

"Ninth, personal responsibility" Honour and responsibility, that are the basics of the sense of self. We must honour our omens, our dreams, our words. And also take full responsibility of our actions, there’s a need to be aware that every action we make affects the others, affects everything as a whole, it can affect another human being, or any part of the nature. If we are aware of that, and think twice, we’ll see that we have responsibility for ourselves.So this small reflections I share with you, so they’ll be shared around the world, and hopefully give some clues, some little lights to others, finding their own paths.

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

For there are many sacred songs, but one above all, the first one to be sing on the Emerald Island.

Years after the Tuatha Dé Danann establish their kingdom in Éire, a new invasion takes place. The elders talk about the Milesians, the first Gaelic people who put a foot in that island.

Amergin was his leader; he was the dreamer, the wisdom one, a Bard, a Druid, a man of the forest and knowledge.

When this new invasion take place, The Dagda invokes his powers to repel the strangers, he sunk the ships, he pray to the winds to don’t let this people in.

So, within the waves, within the ocean and the mists, Amergin sail, sail to the new lands, he departures from the coast of Hispania, where the time for his people had passed. Amergin invokes the elements and the words mark the start of the battle over sovereignty of the Land.

The magic of the Druids take its most powerful form when came in the form of a song, a song who invokes the forest, the sea, the sky. The words of wisdom, the words of power, the cutting word, the cold word.

I am the wind on the seaI am the stormy waveI am the sound of the oceanI am the bull with seven hornsI am the hawk on the cliff faceI am the sun's tearI am the beautiful flowerI am the boar on the rampageI am the salmon in the poolI am the lake on the plainI am the defiant wordI am the spear charging into battleI am the god who put fire in your headWho made the trails through stone mountainsWho knows the age of the moonWho knows where the setting sun restsWho took the cattle from the house of the warcrowWho pleases the warcrow's cattleWhat bull, what god created the mountain skylineThe cutting word, the cold word

So he sung, so he prayed, so he believed, so he dreamt.

And his strength came with his knowledge, with the truth, with the heart of his people, and the Tuatha were defeated.

With truth in their hearts, with strength in their arms, and fulfillment in their tongues, they arrive, and the new era begun, the era of the man.

And from that day on, the men, the wise men will sing in that form, ‘cause all invocations has to be made starting with I am, since every man is the sacred connection with the spirits, the ancestors, and the One.

After the war was finished, the Tuatha and the Gaelic people made an agreement. Most of the Tuatha will be retreat to the Tir na nOg, the land of the eternal youth, the happy otherworld, and only the wiser, the purest, the bravest of man could access to that kingdom, from where the Thuatha will take care of their former land, Manannán Mc Lir rules. Every time that the men need their help they will be back, if they are invoked for truth. They will be worship as the first true rulers of the land, the ancestors, the spirits of the three realms.

And in the sacred well grows three times three hazels, from which the salmon of knowledge will feed, and bring us the wisdom to all mankind.

Along Celtic people there are many references that involve "three", since their philosophy was based on Triads.

Is difficult to a modern people to understand the concept of all the world connected to three aspects since, the western and even the eastern thinking is based on a divided dual world.

Good and Evil, Ying and Yang, beginning and end

But the Celts believe that two things by themselves where nothing without a third.

A Triad is a small phrase, that has three elements, the first two always related to a third, that came as a result.From a Man and a Woman came a new human being, if two persons love each other, they become a new one, where love is the common part.

It’s easy to comprehend this if we think in terms of dialectic, from a thesis and an antithesis came a synthesis.

There are literally thousands of triads, each one from each topic in live.

Three things of which everything is capable, and without which nothing can be: strength of body and mind, knowledge as strength of mind, and love of intuitive wisdom.

This philosophy also can be found in two of the most important Celtic symbols: The Triquetra and the Triskel

The Triquetra is also known as The Eternal Knot, it symbolizes the infinite, the equilibrium and eternal return. Within it we can see the three basic realms, and the harmony between them. After the arrival of Christianism to the Islands, it also take the meaning of the Holy Trinity, and actually there are some who think that the Christian interpretation of the Trinity came directly from the Celtic ways, since the Celtic Gods and Goddess always have three different aspects, three different forms, so, we can hear about the triple Goddess Danna, and the triple Goddess Mórrigú.

It’s also associated in a mix with the Vikings traditions as the Val knot, to represent the three virtues of Odin (or Val) wisdom, strength and courage.

The Triskel is directly associated with the Triple Goddess, and also, this triple spiral is in movement, and means eternal wisdom, the live, death and rebirth. It also represents the three great levels of being: the Overworld, the Middleworld and the Underworld. This represents the unification of balanced opposites to create directional force attuned to ones will, setting goals into motion, bringing them into being and empowering them in all realms.

For me, a man born in the third day of the third month of the calendar that we use in the western world, the meaning and relations of this number are fully integrated within myself, is it my soul, my words and my mind.

Imagination is the key to Wisdom. Wisdom maps the way to Spirit. Spirit reveals itself through Imagination.- That's a Celtic knot

Finally a Triad that was inspired to me:

Three gifts of the Supreme being to each one, Love for their hearts, knowledge for their minds and truth for their words.

Saturday, 10 November 2007

Long ago, in the Emerald Island live the Fomori, an ancestral race of giants demons that rule Éire, they were dark of skin, and savage of life. Their lieder, Balor, the one of the evil eye, ruled with iron fist.

But in the big lands live Danna, Mother goddess of Fertility, Abundance & Protection

A river she is, covering the earth with her armsA river that flows, constantly changing, constantly growing

Trees feed from her tears, of joy and sadness

Stones give way to her strength and tenderness

Life comes from her, life ends at her,

she’s the water that came from the sky.

Because is the spirit of the planet, because is the spirit of the gods.The river flows, the river sings, and gives to the big Tree water to live.

This big tree was Bilé, the green man that is brother and husband of Danna, the god of summer life on which honor Beltaine is celebrate.

He is the flame of life; he is the life that flames

The sun and the earth, the living spirit that brings mater

In summer he lives, but never he dies

Trees know his name, stones scream his voice

Force, spirit and wisdom, power and light

That can only be calmed by the waters of Danna.

They came together and give birth to gods and mans alike. The truly ancestors, the ancient ones.

And that’s how the Tuatha De Danann (children of Danna) born, living in too many places, at too many times. But four cities of importance there were.Findias, Gorias, Murias and Falias, whose secrets and treasures the children of Danna reclaim from every city.

Nuada’s Sword, no one could escape of it’s deadly force.

Lugh’s spear, whom ever posses it never will lose a battle

Dadga’s cauldron, no army will ever have hungry if they feed on it, no matter how big

and Fal’s stone who will cry the name ofevery new king.

Dannan guide her children on their first journey,in the form of the great river, named after her Danube, near to the coast, and then sent them to this Islands, not only to claim of it’s treasures, but to learn from the ancient druids. Morfesa was in Falias, Esras was in Gorias, Uiscias was in Findias, and Semias was in Murias. They were the four druids from whom the Tuatha de learned occult lore and secret knowledge.

Once they were strong and wise enough, the assembly their army, an army of gods, heroes, druids, druidest and mans; and went to the emerald Island to conclude Balor’s reign.

Listen to me oh pilgrim, listen to the cry of the winds.

Because on Baltaine, the EmeraldIslands were cover by dark clouds, from which the sons and daughters of Dannan arrive.On the summer solstice they fight the Fomori, a great battle on which only three times a hundred of Fomori manage to escape. On this fierce battle, Nuada, the leader of the Thuatha de Danna, lost his hand; and therefore has to leave his leadership since no king of them could be with any physical impediment.

The Thuatha as a gesture of peace, give the Fomori the chance to keep part of the island and even ask Bress, son of Elathan to be their king now that the chair was empty.

Bress Mc Elathan, son of a Fomori and a Thuatha, accept and married Brigith daughter of Dagda to seal the deal.

At the same time, Cian son of Diancecht, enters the tower where Eithne daughter of Balor, was kept, and the both fell in love.

From this love Eithne Ni Balor give birth to three child, but Balor, afraid of the omens that said that his grandson will kill him, contempt them to dead.Only one survive, since he fall to the river and land on the other side, where a Tuatha de Danna adopt him, she was Duach, the goddess of darkness, and his name was Lugh.

Oh light of the sun, Oh wisdom oneYou who posses all the skills, you who brings life

The harvest is your will, the water is your tool.

Son of the darkness, father of the heroesMaster of all arts, master of all crafts

Who can be better of you in fighting?

Who can be better of you in magic?

Lugh the Long-handed, your destiny awaits

Lugh the wise man, whose light will guide our path.

Since Bress rule with tyrannical force, and humiliate even the great Thuatha as Dagda, they forced him to give away his throne. Bress went out to the sea, and return with his father. Elathan full of anger, decided to battle the Thuatha again. Meanwhile Nuada was cured by his Druids, and recover his hand.

When a big party were held on Nuada’s castle, someone knock the door and ask for entrance. The porter said that no one who has not a special ability could enter. The stranger was Lugh Samildánach, the one who posses all skills, in answer of the porters words, he say “I am a carpenter, ironsmith, champion, harper, bard, ovate and druid…ask your king if any of his men has as many skills as I am”

The king send his best fidhchell player to Lugh;he defeated the player in every game.

Nuada then admit Lugh to his court, and give him the post of wise man.

When the fomori attack, Nuada ask Lugh to command his army, seven years pass getting ready for the war, Lugh summon of the Thuatha of Danna that live to join him in this final battle.

Meanwhile, just one day before the battle, when Dagda was walking in the forest he find Morrigu, the war goddess, who promise him to win the battle if they slept togheter.

Near to the Samhain the two armies encounter, and during 13 moons they fought. On this great fight many gods die, even Nuada.

Lught challenge Balor of the evil eye, his grandfather, then, when Balor open his eye, Lugh use his spear to get the eye to the other side of Balor’s head who saw the fomori and kill them all.

The fomori who manage to escape went to the sea and never come back.Then, after Nuada’s death, The Dagda, the good god, take the role of their king and father.

I call upon the Dagda, the good godGreat among all

Great among few

You of the cauldron, who feed the hungryYou of the wisdom, who feed the souls

Cauldron of plenty, of love and magic

Cauldron of destiny, of days and nights

Sky and earth, beginning and endLord of Death, as the dark man

Lord of History of events past before your eyes

Lord of the Ancestors, who come on Samhain

Lord of life, as the green man

I call upon In Dagda, great among the gods.

The Tuatha De Dannan rule over Éire, the went to the Island of Man, to Scotland, to Britain and a great kingdom was made.

They rule for many years, until the Milesian arrive, but that is another story, and will be told at another time.

Tuesday, 6 November 2007

On ancient times, processions were made in the night, the begining of the celtic day, shall be iluminated with fire. To honor the new year, to honor the gods, to celebrate.

England can't denny it's celtic heritage.On November 5th, there's a tradition to celebrate the Guy Fawkes festival. Back in 1605, after Elizabeth I dies, an attempt by the Catholics to kill James I was made. This group planned to blow the house of parliament with 36 barrels of gunfire.

They were not successful, the plot was discovered, and Guy Fawkes, their lieder captured, torturated and killed

England celebrates their independence of Rome, their freedom to choose their own path. And they celebrate as a big parade, with processions, fires and in the night.

The biggest festival is going in Lewes, where I went.

A big parade, fancy dresses, beers, fires, a very good experience to live.

Listen to the elders of the world, listen to the ancient ones, because their voice is wisdom, because their voice is real

Now, in this world where everything seems to be "relative" is dificult to express something and that your listeners understand the same.

How ever, There are a few times when you can use the word magic.

You certanly can feel the magic of the ancient ones, when visiting some places like Stonehenge and the old forest of yews. These are sacred places, with so much history and some stories behind.

I visit stonehenge and stay there until the sunset, then walk back to Salisbury. Those three ours of walking in the night (10.7 miles), after been in such magical place, help me to connect with this land a little more

It's difficult to get appart of the old celtics ways, this old religion that honors the land, the stones, the trees, when you walk and feel the land.

Another place that is most impressive to see, is the old yew forest, at Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve. Here are the oldest trees of Britain, and maybe of western europe. Trees with more than 2000 years.

How many stories the wind had share with theme?How many lifes they witnessed from the begining to the end?

The word Druid originally means, "The wise how can speak with the trees" and trees were the begining of their wisdom.

Druids and Ovates alike, use the nature to understand the life. The Ogham alphabet is based on the trees.

Saturday, 3 November 2007

Samhain shona duit, pronounced Sow-in (like cow) Howna Gwitch, means Happy Samhain to you, in Irish Gaelic, one of the few Celtic languages still on use today.

What is Samhain? Why do I celebrate it?

November 1st, as two days before and two days after, are one of the more important holidays of both pagan and Christian world.

Pagan is everything that isn't Christian, Jewish or Muslim. But that definition includes a big number of religions and points of view, to big to say that something or someone is pagan, so, in this case, to which we are referring to?

Samhain is two holidays in one. Is the most important celebration for the Celtic pagan society.

On 1 of November begins the All souls night, that night when the spirits and souls enter this world without restrictions; so the ancient Celts prepared themselves to receive their ancestors.

They put offerings of meals and drinks, something that their ancestors like when alive, so they can feed themselves after the long journey back home.

They light up their houses with candles and fires, to guide the souls on this dark night.

That day, no doors or windows shall be closed, to welcome the departured ones.

At the same time it was Celtic New Year, The Celts believe that the beginning of all was the darkness, and just after that came the light, that's why day began at the sunset, not at the sunrise, as we believe now. Same as this, the year begins at the end of autumn, and the dawn, at may 1st, was the midpart of the year, on a celebration called Beltaine "fire of Belos" .

The other two main festivals are Imbolg at February 1st, the beginning of the spring time and Lughnassa, night of Lugh, at August 1st, when the funeral rituals of the god Lugh take place. This festival has a close relation with Samhain, 'cause they believe that Lugh stay on earth after dead until the Samhain, when he leaves to the Tír na nÓg, the other world, and leaves a false sun instead, a sun that doesn't give warm to the earth inhabitants.

There were these big fires rituals that take place until the middle of the night, when all the lights were turn off. The Elders make reflexions about the past year, and children play and put fancy dresses, so the bad spirits don't hurt them.

Also there is the tradition of children to collect food from door to door, asking to "Help the Samhain party", given all the things collected for the offerings and celebrations.

Druids make reflexions on the past years and predictions on the new one.

Now, dear reader, let's travel thousands of kilometers, to another pagan centre. To the ancient America

The old inhabitants of what is now Mexico, Aztecs, Mayans and others, believe in life after dead, and that the souls depart to the Mictlan, the underworld, where it's master, the god Mictlantecuhtli, rules over the nine rivers that the souls navigated, depending of their live and how they die.

To get there, the dead people needed provisions, for the days to come, so they where buried with, food, drinks and personal items.

Every year, after the harvest, there was this big festival to honor Mictlantecuhtli, and all the departured souls, winter was near, and they need to ensure that the following season were great. So big altars, with flowers, food, lights, were put on their cities, as well as figures of Mictlantecuhtili, skulls, and skelletons.

Ancient indigenous people in Mexico do not fear dead, instead, they waited for it anxious, since have a dead with honors, was the best way to transcend.

This vision pass trough the actual Mexicans, and as Octavio Paz says: "For the inhabitants of New York, Paris or London, dead is a word that is never pronounced, because it burns. Mexican, instead, frequents her, make jokes on her, touch her lightly, sleep with her, celebrates her, is one of his favorite toys and his most permanent love. It's true that in this attitude there's as much fear as with the others, but at least, is not hidden, he faced her with patience, disdain and irony"

Finally it comes the join between this two pagan traditions, Christianity. As many, if not all, the Christian holidays, there's a pagan element behind. The Catholic Church celebrates the All souls night on may 13, at the beginning, but Pope Gregor III, move it to November 1st, in an attempt to eliminate the pagan Celtic traditions.

When the Spanish people arrive to America and conquer the different inhabitants and Mexico born, that land of syncretism, that doesn't make sense if not look with a mixture point of view, and even that way is to surrealist for the foreign, there, this two tradition come together, with the Commemoratio omnium Fidelium Defunctorum. (latin for Conmemoration of the all faithful departed) making as result, the Day of the Dead, the All souls night.

What does this festival means to me?

Is a celebration that joins these origins that emerged as the result of this Celtic journey of mine, two separate cultures as the Celts and the Aztecs, but at same time, so united in the old ways. This all take a different meaning than the usual one, a more intimate one, with rituals, which are of my own, and at the same time are the ones from those ancestors. .

This is a special night, and as H.P. Lovecraft says, "We see things only as we are constructed to see them, and can gain no idea of their absolute nature. With five feeble senses we pretend to comprehend the boundlessly complex cosmos".

This post was originally published in the Spanish language blog Alter Orbi.

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The song to be invocated for this tale is:

All souls Night, by Loreena Mckennitt

----------------------------------------------Bonfire dot the rolling hillsidesFigures dance around and aroundTo drums that pulse out echoes of darknessMoving to the pagan sound.

Somewhere in a hidden memoryImages float before my eyesOf fragrant nights of straw and of bonfiresAnd dancing till the next sunrise.

ChorusI can see the lights in the distanceTrembling in the dark cloak of nightCandles and lanterns are dancing, dancingA waltz on All Souls Night.

Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadowsHeld up tall as the flames leap highThe green knight holds the holly bushTo mark where the old year passes by.

Chorus

Bonfires dot the rolling hillsidesFigures dance around and aroundTo drums that pulse out echoes of darknessMoving to the pagan sound.

Standing on the bridge that crossesThe river that goes out to the seaThe wind is full of a thousand voicesThey pass by the bridge and me.